Five for Friday

These are random thoughts and questions that I've been thinking about recently.

1. I'm curious why people hold on to the treadmill while either running or walking. I've noticed that all types of people do this; men and women, fit and not so fit, runners and walkers. Sometimes they hold on to the sides, sometimes they jack up the incline and hold on to the front. I really thought maybe it's some special workout they are doing, but my husband does not agree. I tried to find out more by Googling it and only find info saying that you shouldn't do it. Does any one know why people would do this? I'm just curious.

2. I've been looking at bikes online and I'm starting to get really excited about getting one. They are so expensive though. My 40th birthday is coming up next month and it may be wishful thinking, but I'm hoping maybe I can get one. Nothing crazy expensive, just a nice road bike. I've got my eye on a few.

3. Another thing that I'm curious about when it comes to the gym is this...I noticed on the Dailymile that a few people posted that they were going 28mph in spin class for an hour. My question is...are people really riding that fast in spin class? or are they just not converting kilometers to miles? At our gym they have the computer screen on the bike that displays RPMs, Watts and Kilometers. I have actually heard a couple of the instructors refer to the numbers on the screen as miles...my husbands take on this is that they want people to feel like they are doing well in class and improving so that they come back...would they really do that? I admit when I came home from my first spin class I told my husband that the screen said I had gone 27 miles and he explained to me that it was in kilometers...and I had really only gone 16.

4. I am a fast walker. Seriously, I almost run into people daily at work. I can NOT stand to walk behind a slow walker...it drives me crazy!

5. The refrigerator where I work is disgusting! it's really gross! I wonder if the same people that leave their yucky stuff in the refrigerator at work for weeks at a time do the same thing at their home? Eew.

My New Plan (and a random photo)

Rub a dub, dub, 3 boys in the tub!

Our youngest is sick and I'm at home this week. I'm trying to catch up on all of the blogs that I follow and I'm slowly making my way around.

I've decided that I'm going to stick to riding the bike during my break from running. I'd like to try the pool running eventually, but I'm not able to do it at my gym and I don't really want to pay to go somewhere else since I already have a membership here.

Here's what my new plan looks like:

Monday - 1hr. spin class
Tuesday - 1hr. ride + core workout
Wednesday - 30 min. ride
Thursday - 1hr. 30 min. interval ride + core workout
Friday - 1hr. 30 min. interval ride
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 1hr. spin class + core workout

Thanks to Bicycling Magazine for this new workout plan, it should keep me busy! I've been keeping an eye out for the type of bike I want to get. I probably won't be able to actually get my own bike until the end of the year and even though I won't be able to ride much outside then my husband has an indoor bicycle trainer that I can use.

Three Things Thursday (and a random photo)

Crampy Toes, a Fortune Cookie and a Half Marathon

1. For some reason I keep getting cramps in my toes at the end of my spin classes, it's painful and annoying. I don't like it. I have researched this phenomenon and have tried several different things. First, I asked the spin instructor what he thought and he said it was probably because of my shoes (I wear my running shoes). He said that if I had bike shoes they would be harder on the bottom and it would help. Well, I don't have the money to spend on bike shoes, thus...I did more research. I googled "cramps in toes during spin class" (don't you just love the internet?) and found lots of different stories. Last week I made sure that the balls of my feet were over the pedals instead of my midfoot and made sure to wiggle my toes throughout the class. This strategy seemed to work and I finished without ever getting cramps. On Tuesday (this week) when I went to spin class it happened again! crampy toes at the end of the class! I am thinking I just need to drink more water throughout the day and before class. So, that is what I'm going to try to do today...drink as much water as I can. I always make sure to take a bottle of water with me too because I sweat so much during the hour class. Today I might take 2 bottles because I always finish the one by the end of class.

2. I liked what I got in my fortune cookie last night. It read: Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

3. I'm going to register for a half marathon tomorrow. I decided to run the Harrisburg Half Marathon on September 12th. This is close to my hometown and it just so happens that I have a family reunion that same day. I figured why not run a half marathon that morning? I'm excited, this will be my second half marathon...my first one was 6 years ago! It's run on City Island and along the scenic Riverfront Park in the downtown Harrisburg community.

Changes

One of the most obvious changes was to my blog. I decided to change the title from "Crazy World of Toddlers" to "Crazy World of a Running Mom". Why the change? Because I've started running again and taking time for myself and it feels great. Previously I was writing mostly about my boys and what they've been up to and I didn't really have much to say about myself. Now, I'd like to write about ME and what I'm up to as well as the rest of my family.

Other changes going on around here? Will is going to start daycare next week and he's turning 1 on July 7th!! I can't believe he's almost a year old already!

I made it through my first week of training successfully. I got up every morning between 5 and 5:30 and made it to the gym. Today was my first Spin Class and it was great. I really liked the instructor, she was very motivating!! Every time we'd go up a hill (stand up on the bike and pedal hard) she'd say, "Attack" and then when we were working on speed work and going really fast she'd say, "They're coming up behind you, GO, GO, GO!" I also like the music that she picked out to go with the workout. I definitely plan on going to this class each week.